Mayor Frey Nominates Brian O’Hara for Police Chief

Excerpt from the September 29 City of Minneapolis e-newsletter:

Photo: David Joles, Star Tribune

Mayor Jacob Frey has nominated Newark Deputy Mayor Brian O’Hara to serve as the next Minneapolis chief of police.

In 2001, O’Hara joined the Newark Police Department as a police officer, rising through the ranks to become a captain in 2016. In 2021, he was appointed as the public safety director for Newark overseeing more than 1,960 employees comprising 996 sworn police officers, 611 firefighters and 346 civilian employees and a budget that exceeded $200 million. In that role, O’Hara enhanced the collaborative working relationships among federal, state and local partners.

As former captain of the Newark Police Department’s Consent Decree & Planning Division (2017-2020), O’Hara has worked extensively with the Department of Justice on the 2016 consent decree between the U.S. and the City of Newark. O’Hara facilitated the implementation, monitoring and compliance of all consent decree requirements, which included the development of all policies and procedures on police reform, promotion of constitutional policing, transparency and accountability throughout the department, and overseeing the development of all public reports, surveys and assessments regarding the effectiveness of the department’s reforms. All of these efforts were designed to shift the Newark Police Department’s culture.

When he was promoted to deputy chief of the Accountability, Engagement & Oversight Bureau, O’Hara continued to promote accountability within the department, measuring the effectiveness of the department’s reform work and overseeing the Internal Affairs unit.

The mayor’s nomination will be submitted to the full City Council at its meeting Thursday, Oct. 6, for consideration and referral to the relevant committee.

Link to September 29th news conference.